Cold Comfort
by Tiffany
Summary: Danielites list challenge response... Daniel gets separated from the team, goes crazy, and there's thunder and lightning. [Caution: Character Death]


** Cold Comfort**  
by Tiffany May Harrsch 

_We all felt it, standing there by the Stargate. There is an emptiness here. A noisy silence. A sourceless cold. All of it emphasizing the sense of wrongness. _

Finding Colonel O'Neill is not a difficult task. He had been haunting the SGC since their return, ignoring my commands to go home and get some rest. He is not taking the downtime well. He is too restless to stay at home, too listless to do desk work, and I'm not about to send him off planet until he has healed from his injuries. And not just the physical ones.

I had already checked his usual haunts. Dr. Jackson's office, still untouched after three weeks, save for the small clearing just large enough for three. I haven't reassigned the space yet in consideration for the team, or so I tell myself. Today the cluttered room is empty. Mercifully, so is the infirmary. Dr. Frazier had voiced her concern on several occasions after finding the haggard colonel sitting in the usual chair staring at the familiar bed conspicuously lacking the familiar form.

So I'm not in the least surprised to find him here, in the Stargate chamber, gazing at the giant ring that has been both blessing and curse to the members of SG1. The pendulum has swung to the side of curse, and I am beginning to wonder if it will ever swing the other way again.

Teal'c is standing next to the colonel, regarding the inactive artifact with an expression I can't read. He is still recovering from the effects of the poison the former inhabitants had released on their planet. The infant Goa'uld he carries had been comatose for days, leaving Teal'c without an immune system, defenseless against all the little bugs no one else would have given even a first thought to, much less a second. But 'Junior', as the team refers to it, is a tough little fellow. It fought for both their lives every step of the way. It's probably the only Goa'uld I'll ever be grateful to.

"Colonel?"

O'Neill straightens a little, his only acknowledgment that he has heard me. He's probably expecting me to order him home again. I knew it was a useless tactic when I first tried it. I'm hoping this attempt will not be so futile. I wonder if he's feeling enough to be surprised when the command doesn't come.

"I have just been briefed on some of the findings from Jackson's World."

Inwardly, I can't help but smile at the name. Sgt. Harriman called the planet that when we had sent the probe back for more data. "We're receiving telemetry from Dr. Jackson's world, sir," he had said absently. An innocent statement that had made the entire control room go silent. The poor sergeant's face had gone so red under his white hair. Still, the name stuck.

I think Dr. Jackson would've been pleased to know that there is now one more named world to add to the half dozen on the list. He never did like the numerical designations; they make the planets seem so impersonal, somehow. But I would not be at all surprised if the young man had memorized the numbers for every planet he had been to, and then some. I can almost see the blush and hear him say in his self deprecating way that certainly there was a better name. Perhaps. But if anyone, he deserves to have the honor of his name ascribed to a planet.

"The poison has been identified." Some long, dense compound I couldn't even begin to pronounce tied up with the water supply. Dr. Jackson had been right on that count. I wonder if he figured out that it was in the water in the atmosphere as well? Even if we had been looking for it, we would not have been able to detect it until it rained It rained a lot on Jackson's World. "Dr. Frazier is working on a cure, and Major Carter and her team believe they have come up with a means to counter act the effects in the mean time."

The colonel merely snorts at the news. "Lot of good that does us," he says bitterly.

"Yes, it does do us a lot of good. Sir." Major Carter joins us in the embarkation room, determination etched on her tired face. The only one to survive the planet physically unscathed, she had disappeared into the lab almost the moment they had arrived back on Earth. She had come out only for the debriefing, the funeral, and a few times to join her friends in moody meditation. She was able and willing for duty, and just as pleased as the colonel when I denied her requests for temporary reassignment to another team. I fear that if I separate the team so soon, even if only for the time it takes for O'Neill's broken arm to heal, that they would never come together again. I think that the best way to keep my best team together is to not separate them at all. So she has spent her time studying the samples they brought back, analyzing the poisons that had nearly wiped an entire planet clear of life. She was determined to give some meaning to the events of Jackson's World.

"We now have something to use against the Goa'uld." I had pointed out this possibility before, but I thought it worth reiterating.

"And if we can decrease its effects, we'll have a safe haven." Although terraforming and colonization are not in the Stargate's immediate future, the possibility of both are being looked into. That is one of the reasons we are collecting samples and data from the planets we visit. The Major steps closer to join her comrades, adding softly, "I think Daniel would have liked that."

"Yeah." The colonel's reply is soft, noncommittal. His gaze remains on the Stargate.

"Dr. Jackson did not die in vain, Colonel."

"I know that, sir."

I step back with a sigh. I wish I knew exactly what it is that is bothering him. This mood he is in goes deeper than a person dying while under his command. It's more than loosing said person to an enemy who had been dead for who knows how long. And more, I think, than having lost his closest friend.

It has only been three weeks. And unless something changes, I doubt there will even be an SG1 in another three. I wish I knew how to help them along. Unfortunately, I am certain that the change will have to come from within.

Teal'c is strong. Sam's smart. And Jack... Well, Jack just doesn't know when to give up. They'll need each other's strengths to keep going.

_____________________________________________________________

_There is something about this place. Something not seen in the pictures, not picked up by electronic sensors. Something you have to be physically present to sense. An eerieness that we can't define, and so makes us all the more uneasy. _

Daniel pulled his jacket closed and crossed his arms against the chill that ran down his spine.

"Are you sure this is P4J..what's it?" Jack warily circled the Stargate, trying to place what was wrong with the place.

"P4J433. Yes, sir." Though Sam had chuckled at Jack's question, she also had her weapon up and ready.

The Stargate was on the edge of a field, not far from the forest, just as the UAV had shown. The images neglected to show that the sparse vegetation on the plain was not only yellowed but barely managing to survive at all. And the trees that had merely looked short in the pictures now appeared stunted, bent somehow, as if the weight of the clouds was too much for them.

"Which way did the UAV say that village was?"

"That way, sir." Sam pointed toward the wooded area before them. "About a click."

"A click," Jack muttered. "Okay, kids. Let's get going. There's a game on tonight, and I don't intend to miss it. Got that, Daniel?"

"What?"

"Good." Jack donned the ubiquitous sun glasses and led the way, one hand still on his weapon.

"No birds," Sam commented when she paused to gather samples from the forest.

Teal'c stood beside her, staff weapon in walking-stick mode. Despite the posture that said there was no immediate threat, he was frowning. "There is no sign of animals of any kind."

"Well, this place would make a great resort for those with allergies." Jack nodded to Daniel, who hadn't even sniffled, much less sneezed, since arriving. "No plants. No animals."

"Too hot for a resort," Daniel commented. And too bright, despite the thick layer of gray clouds hanging motionless above them. "Unless there's an ocean around."

"Bask in the heat of the clouds, huh?" Jack shook his head, eyeing the barren forest. "I'm beginning to think we're the only ones here."

"I hope not." Daniel enjoyed meeting new people and cultures. But they weren't even sure if the planet was still inhabited. All the UAV sent back was pictures of a set of dwellings with white, peaked roofs. The spaces between them were too small to see people, and the material reflected heat too well, both making it very difficult to determine if the village was still in use.

Sam put away her samples and shouldered her backpack. "We're not far, sir."

The village was surrounded by a white washed wall taller than the neighboring trees. Small, evenly spaced holes lined the top, shaped like triangles standing on a point. The opening they found was also triangular. It was wider than it was tall, and Jack reached up to touch the peaked roof as they passed through it. The village itself was gray, quiet, and empty.

"Hello!" Daniel called. "You can come out. We won't hurt you. We come in peace."

"I don't think there's anyone home," Jack said.

Daniel shrugged. "It was worth a try."

"This is ingenious," Sam said, looking at the giant eaves above them. Several building shared the same roof, leaving the allies and streets covered. They provided some relief from the heat and brightness of the day, but did nothing for the humidity. The eaves were supported near the edge by pillars of white stone. Between the buildings and pillars was paved ground. In the small space between the pillars and eaves, the only areas open to the sky, ran a ditch a few feet deep, with stone bridges here and there.

"Amazing," Sam said softly. "It must rain here often. They protected themselves by channeling the run off."

"Guess they never heard of umbrellas," Jack remarked.

"It's strange," Daniel commented.

"About the umbrellas?"

"No." Daniel was studying the wall of one of the buildings. "The outside was white and looked new. Those columns do, too. But look at the walls here," he gestured to the building he stood by. The stone wall he pointed to was chipped and worn. "It doesn't look like anyone has been here for a very long time." He kicked at a loose brick on the street for emphasis.

"The images the UAV sent back made this place look like it had just been built," Sam agreed, as perplexed as Daniel.

"Everything that can be seen from the outside looks new while everything else has seen better days," Daniel summed up. "Why?"

"Perhaps it is a trap."

"Make it pretty enough to lure someone in," Jack said, obviously not liking Teal'c's suggestion. They had taken the bait.

"The Goa'uld?"

"It's a possibility. Everyone look sharp. I don't think anyone's seen this place in ages, but I don't want any surprises. Especially if it was meant for the Goa'uld."

They reached the middle of the village, the only area not covered by the overhangs. It was a circular space that Daniel speculated might have been a meeting place. It was not paved, had no vegetation, and there was only one ramp crossing the ditch that surrounded it. Jack and Teal'c crossed to examine the four white-washed pillars that stood in the opening.

Daniel remained by one of the buildings, trying to read the faded writing. The carvings looked more scrapped off than faded, more like it was purposefully done than like any weathering he had ever seen. But why remove the writing, he wondered, touching the worn wall. The little he could see looked familiar. Almost like Egyptian. Or Goa'uld.

The writing curled around the triangular opening into the interior of the building. He followed it in, running his hand against the wall as if to learn more about the distorted letters by feel.

"Daniel Jackson! Do not..."

Teal'c's shout was drowned out by a noise that sounded like the start of an avalanche. Daniel looked toward the ceiling, searching for the source of the loud crack. The ground shifted, then fell out from under him.

"Jack!" He managed a shout before the surface disappeared and the world went black.

L* L * L * L

_If the village was bait for a trap as Teal'c suggested, then I fell for it. I think I found the trap's door. _

The first thing he became aware of was cold, followed closely by the sensation of wet. Then Daniel made the mistake of trying to move. Pain shot through his body. He cried out, and gasped, as even making noise hurt. Finally, the pain subsided enough to think.

Slowly, he told himself. First, see what's hurt. Then move.

Daniel lay where he landed, trying to differentiate between all the parts of his body that begged for his attention. His thoughts were too shaky to do it without movement.

Carefully, he flexed the fingers of his right hand. Cold and wet, but no pain. Okay. It was nice to find one area _not_screaming at him. He moved his arm. Good. Shoulder was sore, but it was nothing compared to earlier.

Cautiously, he probed his face. _Head's still there._ He wondered why he found the thought so funny.

His glasses were gone. He grunted when his hand found his nose. Definitely broken. No wonder he was having such a hard time breathing. That, and his chest hurt.

Daniel probed his chest, cautiously poking at it through the sodden coat. He took an experimental breath. Then a deeper one. Bruised, he decided, and prayed that was all it was.

He discovered his left arm underneath him. He rolled to the right in order to free it. His legs screamed in protest and he gave them voice. Moving his left arm was almost as excruciating as jolting his legs. But he managed to bring it to rest on his chest.

Daniel laid still for a moment, catching his breath and riding out the waves of nausea that suddenly assailed him. He closed his eyes, preferring the safety of the darkness behind his lids.

Though he couldn't see anything he was sure his surroundings weren't very pleasant. It was dark, for one. That, in itself, was a definite minus. And it was cold. He could not decide if the chill was due to his injuries or the fact that he was sopping wet. His entire right side was submerged in flowing water. He fervently hoped it was water. He didn't even want to consider what else the liquid might be. The only reason his head was not also in the water was because his backpack happened to have landed right there. He could feel the rough material under his cheek. And the tug of the straps against his right shoulder. There was no corresponding tug on his left.

Enough laying around, Daniel scolded himself. You need to find Jack and the others and get out of here. But first, you need to _move_.

He tested his legs again. Okay, so maybe moving wasn't such a bright idea. It felt as if his legs had taken the brunt of the fall.

Daniel levered himself upright one handed. He fought back of a wave of dizziness, concentrating on his breathing. Once he could move without the dark world spinning round him, Daniel reached for the backpack and rummaged blindly for the flashlight. He was relieved to find it undamaged and working. Until he saw his legs.

_Oh, God. Please don't let it be as bad as it looks. Please._ He closed his eyes, swallowed hard, then looked again.

His right leg, as his left arm had been, was folded underneath him. He was currently sitting on his foot, putting more pressure on the knee than it could readily take. Beyond that, he couldn't tell how badly it was injured. Or how much it was contributing to the pinkness swirling around him.

His other leg... Daniel stared in numb fascination. It sat slightly canted toward the side, the pants torn in several places, and a sharp bit of bone peeking through the fabric inches below the knee. The water swirled a dark pink from mid-thigh to ankle. He couldn't tell where exactly he was bleeding from. The water was no darker around the bone than it was elsewhere in the growing stain. And he couldn't feel the warmth he knew should be there from fresh blood touching chilled skin.

"Jack!" Panic replaced horrified contemplation.

He swung the flashlight around. He was in the very edge of a river, just an arms reach from the bank. He saw the stone bank, creatures skittering out of the light, wood and debris against the smooth walls. Above him was a yawning hole in the peaked roof, so dark his flashlight barely made a dent in it. And no sign of the rest of the team or help.

"Jack!"

Before him, gently flowing water. Behind him, more water rolling away, only streaked with pink.

That sight finally snapped him out of his panic.

"Move!" The sound of his voice startled him. He had not intended to make the order out loud.

He tried to ignore the other sounds he made as he slowly inched his way out of the river. He swallowed as much water as he spat out each time he needed to rest his head against the pain. Exhausted and trembling, he finally made it to dry land and collapsed. With one foot still in the water, Daniel passed out.

L* L * L * L

_I still don't know how Jack and the others got down. That tunnel I fell through was a long ways up. It's amazing that they weren't hurt, too. _

Daniel woke to the sound of his name. He blinked. The blurry figure above him solidified into chiseled features with brown eyes and graying temples.

Jack?

Daniel frowned. Jack's relieved face moved out of Daniel's line of sight.

When did he get on his back? Daniel levered himself onto his right elbow. His left arm and shoulder refused to hold his weight. He found Jack kneeling next to his legs. Jack must have turned him over to check on him and tend to his injuries.

Jack tightened the turquonet he had fashioned from the broken backpack strap. Daniel groaned and muttered a curse.

"Sorry, Daniel," Jack muttered sympathetically. "But you were making a mess all over the place."

Daniel saw his stained pants, the streak of watery red leading from the river, and the puddle under his legs. Too much blood. His shaking arm gave out and he fell back to the ground.

"Daniel?" Jack shouted in concern, and rushed to his friend's side. "Daniel, stay with me here," he commanded upon seeing Daniel's closed eyes.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Daniel opened his eyes. Jack was still there. "How did you get here?"

"Same way you did." He indicated the triangular hole in the ceiling. Daniel thought he saw something dangling from it. "Only a little more controlled."

"Sam? Teal'c?" He watched as Jack started gathering pieces of wood. There seemed to be an inordinate amount for an underground river.

"On their way down." Jack threw small pieces into a pile near Daniel.

Daniel sighed. At least the others were okay.

"Daniel, keep those eyes open!"

Daniel started at the command.

Jack regarded him with narrowed eyes. "You've lost a lot of blood."

"So I can't sleep," Daniel finished groggily. If it was that bad he may never wake up.

"Not yet." Jack sorted out a couple of longer sticks, then sat next to Daniel. "So, I'm going to have to keep you up until Carter and Teal'c arrive. How about some old drinking songs?"

Daniel groaned. Jack, he knew from experience, had an awful singing voice.

"Okay, okay." Jack put his hands up in defeat. "No singing. So we'll have to talk about something."

"'Bout what?"

"I don't know. Think of something. I usually can't shut you up."

Daniel saw the teasing glint in Jack's worried eyes. He felt a smile tug at his lips. Leave it to Jack to tease him awake.

He looked at the smooth ceiling, his mind refusing to come up with a topic of discussion. He was tired, but this was ridiculous.

He shivered slightly. He wondered why Jack wasn't cold, wearing only that black t-shirt.

Daniel frowned. Jack frowned back.

"Where's your jacket?"

Jack gave him an odd look. Obviously that wasn't what he was expecting for conversation. He looked down at himself, then at Daniel. A sardonic smile played at his lips. "Yours was wet," he said, pointing to the brown mass by the pile of sticks.

"Oh." Daniel pulled at the slightly loose jacket he wore. That would explain why he was warmer than before.

His gaze flicked around the tunnel they were in before settling back on Jack. "What happened?"

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you remember?"

Gray clouds. Exploring equally gray ruins. The ground collapsing under him. Shouting for Jack just as the world disappeared.

"I fell?" he asked, not quite believing what had happened.

"Ya think?" Jack frowned, then sighed. "The going theory is that you found an old well. Either that, or a patch of unstable ground that was almost perfectly triangular."

"Oh." Daniel found himself curiously relieved. But why, he wondered, would there be a well indoors?

A shiver put a stop to that line of thinking. Daniel paled at the jarring it caused his legs.

"Daniel?" Jack was leaning over Daniel now.

"Hurts," Daniel managed to ground out.

Jack disappeared a moment. When he returned he handed Daniel some white pills and the canteen. "Not much," he said apologetically as he helped Daniel up enough to swallow them.

"Thanks." The word came out as little more than a whisper. Daniel took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his pained nerves. His eyes drifted closed.

L* L * L * L

_I wish we had one of those hand held healing devices. Don't get me wrong, Sam's great at trying to keep me together. But as often as somebody gets hurt on the SG teams, it's a wonder they aren't part of the medkits. Maybe General Hammond could trade with Bra'tac or something. Have to remember to suggest it to Jack when he comes back. _

"Perhaps it is best that Daniel Jackson is unconscious."

Why? Daniel thought groggily.

A resigned sigh from somewhere in the vicinity of his legs. "Maybe." Sam didn't sound very happy. "But I'd feel better knowing he's with us."

I'm here, he thought, starting to drift again. I just can't get my eyes to open.

"Teal'c, you'd better hold him down, just in case. Colonel?"

Daniel felt hands get a gentle but firm grip on his shoulders. Then hands getting a painfully tight grip on his leg. A sharp tug, the snap of bone returning to its rightful place. He cried out, jerking against the grip on his shoulders. The pain brought him fully to consciousness.

Sam tied two sticks to his leg to immobilize it. Daniel squeezed his eyes shut, whimpering every time she put pressure in the wrong places.

"Dammit, Carter, Daniel wants to keep that leg," Jack growled.

Sam shot him a look, but directed her reply to Daniel. "Almost done."

Daniel nodded weakly. He was shivering again.

"Daniel Jackson's shoulder is disconnected." Teal'c removed his hand from the injured arm.

Daniel could feel the blood drain from his face at that bit of news. It meant even more pain.

Jack muttered his own curse at the announcement. "You're breaking your own record here, Daniel," he said softly.

Teal'c helped Daniel sit up as Sam moved to probe the injury. Even though Daniel clenched his teeth at her warning, he still came too close to biting his tongue when the joint snapped back in place.

"Oh, God, I'm going to be..." He turned just in time to finish his sentence with the action. He wiped his mouth with a shaky hand.

Jack handed him the canteen with the admonishment to take it slow. He stood, shining his flashlight around. "We can't get out the way we came."

Daniel look up at the hole. He thought he saw a rope flutter, but couldn't find it again when the light passed back that way. Apparently, the rope wasn't long enough to reach the ground. Jack and the others must have dropped from the ceiling. Even if they could reach the opening above them, Daniel was certain he would not be able to make the climb. If the whole passage was as small as the opening was, then they would not be able to carry him up.

"So," Jack continued, "we'll just have to find another way out."

Daniel looked around uncertainly. How? "All I see is water."

"Well, the water got in here somehow." Jack pointed the flashlight down stream. "And since it's not backing up, I'm assuming it's going _out_ somewhere."

"So, which way?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Upstream," Sam answered promptly.

Jack raised his brows.

"Water could be flowing into an underground cavern," she explained. "There has to be an opening large enough to let these in." Sam indicated the collection of wood at her feet. "And they came from somewhere here or upstream."

Jack shrugged. "Upstream it is, then. Teal'c, let's you and I scout ahead a bit. Carter, you get Daniel ready to be moved." Jack threw Daniel an apologetic look, then disappeared down the tunnel.

Sam grabbed Daniel's backpack, emptied in Jack's haste to get to the first aid kit, and started to refill it. Daniel raised an eyebrow when she put his sodden jacket in the pack, but said nothing. The sticks, however, he just couldn't fathom.

"Why are you putting those in there?

"We don't know how long it's going to take us find a way out of here. Better we have it along for a fire."

Made sense. But he would rather they find a way out long before they needed a fire.

Sam set the now full backpack next to Daniel. She opened the bottle of pain killers and handed three to Daniel. The rest she poured into one of the pockets of Jack's jacket that Daniel now wore. Daniel gave her a very perplexed look.

Sam shrugged. "Want a sample of the water and I don't have my gear with me," she answered his question before he could ask it. "There's so little living here. And there's nothing wrong with the air. I'm wondering if there water isn't contaminated or something." Sam filled the bottle, tightened the lid and tested for leaks. Satisfied, she zipped it into one of the backpack's pouches.

"Okay, kids," Jack announced his return. "Nothing blocking our path for a ways. The tunnel even widens a bit. Should be easy going."

"Easy for you to say," Daniel grumbled.

"Won't be that bad," Jack assured him.

"Yeah, right."

Jack ignored the comment. He handed Sam his flashlight. "Carter, you take point. Come on, Teal'c. Time for us to act as human crutches."

Sam led the way, toting the strapless backpack as Jack and Teal'c helped Daniel along.

Left behind, unnoticed, was a scattering of little white pills, dropped by shaking hands opening a reluctant bottle. One turned a small puddle of blood pink as it dissolved.

L* L * L * L

_We aren't making much progress. It seems like Jack calls for breaks every five minutes "to scout ahead". I know it's just an excuse to let me rest, to have some water and catch my breath. To fight back the pain, some. I hate that I'm slowing them down. But I'm glad they're here. _

Daniel clenched his jaws as Teal'c helped lower him to a sitting position. He leaned against the wall, squeezing his eyes closed against the pain.

"The river has begun to move more rapidly," Teal'c noted. His voice hovered over Daniel, merely a few feet away.

"I think it's rising, too." Sam's voice was a bit further away, but still close. As if they were afraid to put much distance between Daniel and themselves.

Daniel heard Jack pacing to his right. "I don't like this," Jack muttered. He heard a small splash above the rush of the river. Had Jack just tried to kick the river? He was too tired to open his eyes to find out.

Next thing Daniel became aware of was silence. When had everyone stopped talking? He heard nothing but the river rushing by, and his own strained breathing. Daniel forced his heavy lids open.

He was alone. He found the flashlight by his left leg, illuminating the growing river. The backpack sat by his side on his right. 

Daniel looked around, confused. Had he fallen asleep? Where did everyone go?

Daniel shivered. Maybe he should start that fire now, so it was ready when the others came back. No, he decided. Probably not such a good idea. He didn't know if they would be able to find more sticks later. And not having the faintest clue how long he'd been down here, he was not even sure how much longer the flashlight would work. They may need the wood for torches.

He sighed. So what was he going to do? He knew that sleep was not a good idea, though he couldn't remember exactly why. And he didn't want to move without the others, not that he would get very far on his own.

He noticed the shakiness of the light as he played it upstream. His hands were trembling. Not just his hands, his whole body was trembling. Not good, he thought, pulling the jacket tighter around his body. It wasn't that cold. Maybe he was shaking because he hadn't eaten in a while, not since before the pre-mission briefing. He did not know how long ago that was.

Daniel reached into his backpack and pulled out an MRE at random. He also took out his notebook, which had miraculously survived water free. He wrote a few sentences, absently picking at the MRE. He had managed a few bites before his stomach rebelled. Groaning at both his stomach and the aftertaste, he reached for the canteen. It was empty. He sighed miserably, closing his eyes for a moment. He became aware of running water again. The river, of course. All that water...

Daniel crab-legged, minus a leg, over to the river's edge. He was sweating from the effort by the time he positioned himself properly to drink. He swallowed convulsively down a parched throat and his stomach threatened to empty itself again of its meager contents. Daniel scooped up two handfuls of the water and greedily drank before reminding himself to slow down lest he irritate an already riled stomach.

"Daniel, don't drink that!"

Sam's warning arrived as he put the fifth handful to his lips. She slapped the water from his hands. "It's contaminated, remember? Why don't you use the water in the canteen?"

Daniel blinked. Where'd she come from?

"Uhm..the canteen was empty." He motioned vaguely in the direction of the backpack where he'd left the canteen. It was not there anymore.

Sam frowned at Daniel. "Daniel. It's nearly full." She placed the stoppered container in his hands as proof.

Daniel hefted the canteen, thoroughly confused. It felt full. And it tasted just like water. He glanced warily at the solitary backpack.

"Daniel?" Sam voice conveyed her own confusion and concern.

"Muddled," he murmured, his gaze still on the pack. Why was it so hard to think?

"Where's Jack and Teal'c?"

"Right here." Lights bobbed from upstream, soon illuminating Daniel's missing teammates. "There's a side tunnel a short distance up," Jack continued. "Seems to be going uphill, and there's less water streaming from it."

"Good signs," Daniel muttered, wondering what was going on.

Jack knelt beside him. "Daniel?"

Daniel glanced away from his friends searching eyes. He tried to think of something to say to ease the worry he saw on Jack's face. Nothing came to mind. "It's just..."

"Muddled," Sam provided, echoing his earlier sentiments.

"Yeah." Daniel gingerly rubbed at his eyes, avoiding the throbbing radiating from his nose. "It's just hard to think."

Jack patted his shoulder. "Let us worry about the thinking." Jack tried to make it light hearted, but Daniel could hear the edge in his voice. "You just stay with us, you hear."

Daniel sighed and nodded.

"Right, Daniel?" Jack wasn't going to be happy until he heard an answer.

"Right."

L* L * L * L

_Sam thinks the people who lived here before poisoned or contaminated the planet. Teal'c is sure it's not the Goa'uld, they prefer to use resources. Unless maybe these people were a threat. From the looks of it upstairs, that might be the case. Either way, we are probably not safe down here. Definitely not with the water rising. And what about Teal'c, if P4J433's inhabitants _did _contaminate the planet against the Goa'uld? _

They passed more side tunnels, all of them as triangular as the main corridor they branched from. All spewed forth more water, adding to the torrent in the corridor they walked through. They no longer had dry ground to walk on. The river had spread to both walls, lapping swift, frigid, and muddy water over their feet. They stayed as close to the wall, and as far from the middle, as they could get. Still, the water was at their ankles, and rising.

Daniel shuffled along as fast as he could, support by Jack and Teal'c. It didn't help matters that he could no longer feel his feet.

"How much further, Sir?" Sam led the way through the increasingly difficult passage.

"We must pass two more openings," Teal'c answered.

Daniel could hear Jack breathing hard with the effort of supporting him and keeping his footing.

"It's... owe!" Sam stumbled, splashed to her knees, and slid a few inches from the wall before she could stop herself.

"Sam?"

"I'm okay," she said quickly. "Got a slippery patch right there."

"Ya think?" Jack replied dryly.

Sam shot him a dirty look. "I found something."

"What?"

"I don't know. Feels like metal." She pulled her arms out of the murky water.

Jack cursed and pulled his weapon up. "They're here?"

Sam looked down at the object she held. It was a Serpent Guard's helmet. She turned it over and made a face. "There's still a skull in it."

"Then there is no threat," Teal'c said. "We must move from this place."

Jack grudgingly lowered his gun. "Carter, lead the way."

"Yes sir." Sam cautiously stood. She nearly lost her balance again as she moved past the slippery patch, juggling the helmet, held up-side-down, the now strapless backpack, and her flash light.

"The tunnel we're looking for is on _this_side, right?"

Daniel echoed Sam's mistrustful look at the river they were slogging through. Who knows how deep the middle was now. Daniel was pretty certain that none of them were good enough swimmers to cross at the speed it was running. It was fast enough to cause a roar they had to shout to be heard above.

Daniel was gratified to see the 'I'm not that crazy' look cross Jack's face.

The rush from the second cross tunnel threatened to push them off their feet. Somehow, Teal'c was the only one to keep solid footing.

Finally, they made it to the tunnel Jack and Teal'c had found earlier. There was little more than a creek-like trickle coming from the center of the otherwise dry floor. But the river from the main corridor was backing up into it. They moved to a point just beyond the back up, and rested a bit.

Daniel was glad to sit. He couldn't seem to catch his breath anymore. He was cold, except for his legs. He couldn't feel anything below his shins. And the numbness was working its way to his knee on the left side. Daniel knew it was a bad sign, but he was still grateful for at least one area being out of pain.

"Daniel, keep your eyes open!" Jack ordered.

Daniel sighed. "They're open. They're open."

He tiredly watched as Sam tightened the splint and the tourniquet, both of which had come loose during that last stretch.

"Not good," he stated, watching Sam's hands change color in her attempts to stop the blood that still trickled.

Daniel caught the truth in her eyes before she glanced away. He sighed. At least she wasn't going to lie to him. He was thankful for that.

Which was more than he could say for Jack.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Jack tried to sound hopeful, refusing to let the extent of his injuries get Daniel down.

Daniel ignored him. He slumped against the smooth stone wall and closed his eyes. They shouldn't be here. They weren't going to leave him behind, though. Not if there was the slightest chance at hope. Maybe not even if there was no hope.

"Daniel, open your eyes!"

Daniel was tempted to ignore Jack. His lids were so heavy, and he was so tired.

"Daniel. Daniel, please, wake up."

He felt hands on his shoulders, then slapping is face. The physical sensations would have been so easy to ignore. But not the fear in Jack's voice.

Daniel forced his heavy lids open and tried to stifle a yawn.

Jack saw the everyday gesture and grinned. "Don't you dare go and scare me like that again," he scolded, the smile still on his face, but not quite meeting his eyes.

He knows, Daniel thought. But he won't admit it.

Daniel looked at his other teammates. So much he wanted to say. Did they know how much he appreciated their company, their support, their friendship through the years? Did they realize how much he cared in turn? He wasn't sure. And that bothered him. A lot.

"Shouldn't you be scouting ahead?" he asked Jack.

Jack eyed him warily, sensing that Daniel had ulterior motives for Jack's temporary absence. "You're not going to try to sneak some shut eye in without me, are you?" He tried to make his concern sound so flippant. Exactly what he would expect from Jack O'Neill.

Daniel gave him a half smile. "No."

"Promise?" How Jack managed to make the plea sound like a command, Daniel didn't know.

Daniel nodded once and looked Jack in the eye. "I promise."

Satisfied, Jack stood, and grimaced. "Hate wet socks," he grumbled to no one inparticular. He took two steps up the incline, then turned around. "Teal'c?"

Daniel caught Teal'c's eyes. Teal'c gave one, almost imperceptible nod. "I will stay with Daniel Jackson."

Jack gave him a long look. "Right," he said with a sigh. "You and Carter stay here. I'll be right back."

Daniel listened to Jack's shoes squish until he could hear nothing more than his breathing and running water.

"Thank you."

Sam glanced from him, to Teal'c, and back to Daniel again. "What for?"

Daniel shook his head, unsure how to say what he felt should be said. He hated being at a loss for words. "For being here. For trying. For not lying to me."

She glanced at Teal'c again, then studied her hands. "Daniel..."

"Sam, don't."

She opened her mouth to say something, but Daniel jumped in before she could utter a word.

"Don't. You're not wonder woman. You can't be expected to find the answers to everything. Do you understand?"

Sam closed her eyes, nodded.

"You're here," Daniel continued softly, wanting desperately to close his eyes as well. "That's what matters." _Please Sam, don't feel guilty for this, for me._ "You understand?"

She glanced up at Teal'c, then met Daniel's eyes. She nodded again and squeezed his hand. "I know, Daniel," she said softly, not trusting her voice to go any further.

"Teal'c?"

"Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c knelt beside Daniel, bringing himself to Daniel's eye level.

"I..." Daniel closed his mouth in frustration. Where were the words when he needed them most?

Teal'c inclined his head. "I too understand, Daniel Jackson."

"Do you?"

"I do."

Daniel sighed in relief. This had been easier than he expected.

"Do not worry, Daniel Jackson," the Jaffa said quietly, his voice barely audible over the sound of rushing water. "We will not give up the search."

"Or the fight," Sam put in.

Daniel studied two of his closest friends, his team mates, and nodded. Now he had just one more thing to do to set his mind at ease, and that was going to be the hardest part.

A low rumble interrupted any further words. Everyone looked up at the tented ceiling.

"What was that?" Daniel asked only after he was certain the place wasn't going to cave in on them.

Sam and Teal'c were on their feet as another rumble shook the tunnel.

"I don't know." Sam eyed their surrounding suspiciously. "But I don't like it."

"We must move Daniel Jackson."

"What?" Daniel and Sam asked simultaneously.

"The water level is rising." Teal'c indicated the puddle he stood in, now touching Daniel's leg.

Daniel stared at the dark water inching its way further into their corridor. He could hear the raging of the river at the entrance. It seemed the water was intent on filling every crevice it could find.

"Come on, Daniel." Sam helped Teal'c hoist Daniel to a standing position.

L* L * L * L

_I have to know that he won't do anything stupid later. I need to know that he won't quit SG1 and the military. That he won't give up. Not for me. I don't want that responsibility. _

"Where's Jack?"

Sam and Teal'c exchanged baffled looks at the sudden urgency in Daniel's voice.

"He's gone to scout ahead, remember?"

"Of course I remember," he scowled at Sam. "But I need to talk to him." He couldn't feel the wet because he couldn't feel his left leg. He needed to talk to Jack before he couldn't feel anything at all.

"Okay," Sam said placatingly, trying to calm him down. She glanced at the growing pool at their feet. "But after we move someplace drier."

Another rumble sounded from the direction of the ceiling. Daniel paled and clung to Teal'c to keep from falling over. He opened his mouth to protest when he heard a steady stream of invectives sounding from up the corridor.

Jack came down to join the rest of his team. He muttered a couple of more curses before explaining what had him so pissed. "No way out," he grumbled. "We've worked ourselves into a dead end."

"Jack."

"Well, we can't go back." Sam indicated the entrance with a nod. The water must have been at least shin level. It was already around their ankles where they stood.

"Jack."

"What?" Jack finally turned his attention to Daniel.

"You have to promise me." Daniel leaned heavily on Teal'c.

Jack wrapped his arms around Daniel, prepared to help guide him uphill. "Not now, Daniel."

Another rumble rocked the ceiling, as if in agreement to Jack's words.

Daniel was having none of it. He pulled away from Jack, nearly loosing his balance altogether.

"Daniel..."

"No! You have to promise you won't retire."

Confusion darkened Jacks face. "What? Daniel, what the hell are you talking about?"

"If... If something..."

"Don't even start talking like that."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said, "until I know."

"Daniel..."

"Promise!"

They stared each other down.

"Sir, we need to move. Now."

Jack glanced at the main corridor, loud with the sounds of rushing water. Then at their feet, cold with water rising too quickly for comfort. Back at the direction he had just come from, an uphill dead end that was a hell of lot drier than here. Then at Daniel, pale and shaking with the effort of talking and standing at the same time.

Daniel watched the decisions being made in Jack's face. He knew Jack hated when he got stubborn. But he had to know. He had to have the promise, even if it was broken in the end. By that time, Daniel wouldn't be around to care. But ever since he had heard what Jack planned when they thought he was dead back on Oannes world... That was more responsibility than Daniel wanted to bear.

He slouched against Teal'c, waiting for the answer he knew would come.

"All right," Jack growled quietly, not in the least pleased. "I promise. Can we go now?"

Daniel sighed, then nodded. He allowed Jack and Teal'c to help him up the incline, away from the raging waters to the relatively quiet and dry safety of their dead end.

L* L * L * L

_Well, we're stuck at the end of this tunnel. It sounds like we're at the epicenter of a major storm. I swear I can see lights flickering above us. What could the Goa'uld possibly see in this place if Sam's right and the weather we hear is normal for the planet? Heat and rain, I hate that mixture. But I sure could use some of the warmth I was complaining about earlier. _

Daniel leaned against the wall and shivered. It was getting so hard to keep his eyes open. He tried to pay attention to his companions.

Teal'c was building a small fire from the sticks Sam had shoved into Daniel's backpack. He kept the fire close to the wall Daniel was leaning against, hoping the flames would warm the wall and ground, and through them, Daniel.

Sam silently checked on Daniel's bandages. There was little more she could do than keep the pressure on where it should be. Her frowned deepened when she noted the lack of response on Daniel's part to her prodding. It should have hurt like hell, they both knew it. Mercifully, she kept her silence about it. Instead, she handed Daniel the canteen and told him to take a few more of the pain killers.

Jack sat next to him, arms around Daniel in an effort to share body heat. He gave Daniel his notebook, suggesting that writing might help keep the younger man awake.

Daniel tried to put his wondering thoughts to paper, hoping it came out coherently. It didn't help that Jack was right there to read over his shoulder if he wanted to.

When his eyes became blurry, and he couldn't hold the pen steady, he put the notebook down. He leaned his head against Jack's shoulder. The body heat thing must be working, he thought vaguely. He wasn't cold anymore. In fact, he felt quite toasty. And tired. He fought to keep his eyes open.

"Maybe we should talk," he mumbled.

"Okay."

"We prob'ly missed that game by now."

Jack chuckled. "Probably."

"Who do you suppose won?" His eyes were slipping closed.

"Hard to say. They both had good games this year..." Jack went on to describe the good qualities and the bad of each team.

Daniel saw Teal'c attempt to revive the dying fire. Sam chuckled at a couple of Jack's animated descriptions as she inspected the helmet again. Daniel relaxed against Jack. With a small smile, listening to the soothing tones of Jack's voice, Daniel drifted asleep.

_____________________________________________________________

_It's a humbling thing, to know that you will be missed. And gratifying._

I walk to the door, and pause. I know this is something that needs to be worked out between the remaining members of SG1, but I am reluctant to leave them.

Colonel O'Neill glowers at the Stargate. He is determined to keep the promise made to his dying friend, even if the promise had been made by an hallucination. He wants back out on a mission as soon as possible.

Teal'c shares the same sentiments. He had requested a return to Abydos so that he might give Dr. Jackson's belongings to Kasuf, his father-in-law and only remaining relative.

And Major Carter tries to keep her mind off her missing teammate by hiding in the lab. She has said barely two words in passing to either myself or Dr. Frazier. Me, I'm sure, because I refused her request for temporary reassignment, and the doctor for agreeing with me.

They are all eager to go off-world again, to move on. I am afraid that they will 'move on' separately, forever breaking up the best team the SGC has. I feel that to heal properly they will need each other.

I have to do something about this. I open my mouth to try yet another tactic.

"Colonel?" Major Carter beats me to it. "Sir."

"We should have gotten to him sooner," O'Neill said gruffly.

This was old territory. I repeated what I had said before, "You had no way of knowing..."

"He was right under the damned thing. If we had found that entrance sooner..."

"Colonel O'Neill!" What was it he was trying to hide from?

His eyes still do not leave the Stargate. "He should never have been there in the first place." I thought we had both laid to rest any doubts about the decision to allow Dr. Jackson to the team.

"Sir," the major started, sounding angry now. "Daniel had every right to be there. You know that." Her voice softened a bit. "He died doing the thing that he loved. Investigating a new planet, new people, new ruins."

"Booby trapped ruins." The inhabitants preferred to kill the planet than to ever let the Goa'uld use it. And they made sure the Goa'uld would have a hard time even looking around before they died of the poison.

Booby trapped artifacts, however, was not the point. The point was that Dr. Jackson had been thoroughly engrossed in doing what he loved most. As Major Carter put it, "Learning, sir."

"Yeah, right. Finding the answers to the mysteries of life. Look what good it did him. He died in a sewer, for crying out loud. Alone." His voice cracked with the last word.

He whispered, "No one should ever have to die alone." So, that was what was eating at him, the notion the Colonel and I both share.

"Daniel Jackson did not die alone."

Major Carter and I turn to Teal'c in surprise. Colonel O'Neill looks at him with raw anger "How can you say that? Dammit. He was cold when we found him."

"You have read his journal." All four of us have read his last written words. Some of the most painful words to read.

"Yeah, so?"

"Daniel Jackson believed we were there with him in his final hours. Therefore he did not die alone."

The colonel and Teal'c stare at each other for a long, tense moment. Teal'c believes every word he had just said. I watch O'Neill's face change at what he sees in the Jaffa's eyes. Finally, he nods, accepting that which he desperately needed to believe as well.

I think I may have just witnessed SG1 starting to heal with the offer and acceptance of that one small, cold comfort.

_Jack thinks that I'm letting go, after making him make that promise. I'm not giving up. I just needed to know that they'll be okay. Just in case. I'll keep holding on as long as I can. I'll keep fighting as long as they are here. Jack, Sam, Teal'c. My family. _

* * *

© 1999 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author. 

Thanks to my Beta, Ivanova, for catching what spell check won't see. 

[Daniel's Mirror][1]

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   [1]: http://danielsmirror.homepage.com



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